The present invention relates to a magnicon amplifier and, more particularly, to a magnicon amplifier that provides deflection modulation and has an output cavity operated at the second harmonic of the cyclotron frequency of the output cavity.
Communication, radar and particle accelerator applications have a need for a combination of high power microwaves at shorter wavelengths than are available from conventional microwave tubes. High power klystrons efficiently operating in a frequency range of about 2.85 GHz serve well as a high power microwave device, but do not operate well in frequencies greater than about 10 GHz. The magnicon amplifier is envisioned as a replacement for the high power klystrons.
The magnicon is a scanning-beam microwave amplifier that deflection modulates an electron beam from its insertion point into the magnicon and continues such modulation into the output cavity of the magnicon and does so in synchronization with the phase of the microwaves being propagated by the magnicon. The operation of the magnicon is known in the art and further details may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,885,193 (+193) and 4,019,088 (+088) both of G. I. Budker and in the technical article "Gyrocons and Magnicons: Microwave Generator with Circular Deflection of the Electron Beam," of Oleg A. Nezhevenko published in IEEE Transactions of Plasma Science Vol. 22, No. 5, October 1994. Both of the patents +193 and +088 and the technical article of Oleg A. Nezhevenko are herein incorporated by reference. The synchronization of the magnicon provides an extremely efficient interaction in the output cavity between the electron beam and microwave signal introduced into the magnicon, since theoretically every electron experiences identical decelerating radio frequency (rf) fields.
The magnicon, because of its fast-wave output cavity and its phase-synchronization interaction, provides higher power and higher efficiency at higher frequencies relative to known high power klystrons. Although the magnicon serves well its intended purpose, further improvements of the magnicon are desired. More particularly, it is desired that the quality of the electron beam created by a magnicon be improved, thereby, resulting in attendant higher efficiencies and higher operating frequencies.